A Day of Mourning

Enormous crowds gathered this morning in Jerusalem for the funerals of the eight students murdered last night in a terrorist attack at the Mercaz HaRav Yeshiva. The identities of the slain were released late last night:

The photo shows the blood-soaked tallit (prayer shawl) of one of the murdered students whose body was found on the floor, still holding to his chest the Bible commentary he had been studying at the moment of his death.Some students remain hospitalized in serious to critical condition and a call has gone out to the general public to pray for the recovery of:
Naftali ben Gila (son of Gila) from Sderot
Yonatan ben Avital
Shimon ben Tirza
Nadav ben Hadas
Reuven ben Naomi
Elchanan ben Zehava

As the ambulances began arriving at the Yeshiva about 10:30 this morning carrying the bodies of the victims, waves of sobbing gripped the crowds as each ambulance made its way with difficulty through the packed streets surrounding the seminary.The first eulogy was delivered by Rabbi Yaakov Shapira, who succeeded his late father, Rabbi Avraham Elkanah Kahana Shapira, as leader of the yeshiva when the latter passed away just a few months ago. Rabbi Shapira spoke with tears streaming down his face of the “eight sons that we have lost in one day,” and called for a “better and more believing leadership. This slaughter is a continuation of the slaughterous pogrom of 1929 in Hevron [when Arabs murdered with axes 67 Jews in their homes and synagogues]. The Land of Israel, which these eight loved so much and were so devoted for – we have to stop playing with it! We have to stop dividing it!.. Please pray for us, and for the yeshiva, that it should continue to grow and have influence.”

The news out of Israel today is heart wrenching. As it came over the wires yesterday, I was frustrated that we could not get a full report on any news stations. I relied upon the Drudge Report with its list of links to gain information, then clicked on to my sidebar to read from “Schmoozing with Elya Katz,” he is a great source for all things Jewish. This report was in my email this morning, it comes from Leah Rafaeli with The Lekarev Report.

I know the picture is hard to bear, but the understanding that children were murdered as they were studying Torah needs to be grasped. These are God’s chosen people through an everlasting covenant He cut with Abraham. It is a day of mourning. Please pray with me:

May the LORD answer you when you are in distress; may the name of the God of Jacob protect you. May He send you help from the sanctuary and grant you support from Zion. May He remember all your sacrifices and accept your burnt offerings. May He give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed. We will shout for joy when you are victorious and will lift up our banners in the name of our God. May the Lord grant all your requests.

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Wow, that is tragic! We must always remember our roots as Christians and remember to stand with our Jewish brothers.

Deuteronomy 26:15
‘Look down from Your holy habitation, from heaven, and bless Your people Israel, and the ground which You have given us, a land flowing with milk and honey, as You swore to our fathers.’

Reality is very hard – words can’t describe it. Everytime I click on it jolts me. It’s time to publish again, if only to move on to brighter thoughts. I still mourn and will continue to pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

Michelle, at the possible risk of losing the beginnings of what could be a beautiful Friendship, could you please indicate if you are bound by God’s Covenant with Abraham (to the Jews) or God’s New Testament received through Jesus Christ?

Do any of the Jews you are friends with declare Jesus to be the Son of God – follow His Commandment to love their Brother and turn the other cheek (to be smitten also) – to LOVE their enemies? ( like good old Christian that he is George Dubya follows so beautifully?)

If they do then THEY are my brothers and I would be happy to know and support them. All those who support the ‘surgical’ firing of rockets from helicopter ‘platforms’ and fighter jet planes into apartment complexes and refugee centre buildings, i feel, are somewhat less than ‘Christian’ in their belief. That applies equally to those who fire Katushka rockets in the hope of hitting something and someone (an ‘enemy’)

Does that also help your perspective any? 🙂

A view of ‘brotherhood’ seen from one side only rarely gives us a true perspective – have you any quotes from ‘Our’ (Christ’s) side of the Holy Book that fit the scene above? or are there only OT ones?

Would a beautiful friendship be lost over one point – granted, a major one – I think it’s possible to agree to disagree and not break fellowship. Let’s see…

I have been studying the relationship between the Jewish people and the Christian church for a long time, and I do not believe we can pass judgment on the present situation without a solid grounding in history. The point of my blog is not to get into politics, just talking about one of the taboos (never talk about politics and religion) is sometimes more than I can handle. 😉

I have answered some of your questions under “Telling the Truth” comments 2, 4, and 6. A current book that tells of the Muslim terrorist tactics written from a Christian Lebanese perspective – Because They Hate by Brigette Gabriel – helps to show the true relations between the Arabs and the Jews. As a Christian Arab she endured the terrorism of Islamic Arabs as they fought Israel…it’s too much to explain. Here’s a link:

I don’t know if I’ve explained my position fully, but you can get a better perspective of who I am through the comments I have previously made. I do believe we (Christians) have been grafted into the root (Israel). We have not replaced Israel – HaShem has made an everlasting covenant with His chosen people and He has yet to fulfill it all – and I know, He does not lie, His promises are irrevocable. Praise the Lord! 🙂

I AM the True Light

John’s Gospel

A Peaceful Life

God grant me the serenity
To accept the things
I cannot change;
Courage to change the things I can;
And wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardship
As the pathway to peace;
Taking, as Jesus did,
This sinful world as it is,
Not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make
All things right if
I surrender to His will;
So that I may be
Reasonably happy in this life and
Supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.